Final Fantasy VIII Threads of Fate
by DraketW
Summary: Final Fantasy VIII from Squall's eyes. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Prologue: Unfinished Business

Thunder rumbled overhead

**Final Fantasy VIII – **

**Prologue: Unfinished Business**

_Thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed in the dark clouds. I threw my Revolver gunblade, generic and heavy, into the air in a display of the duel that would follow, and Seifer did too. His blue eyes arrogantly smirked at me from across the makeshift arena and a confident grin spread across his face, his short blonde hair gently waving in the growing wind. Rain fell and began to darken his gray overcoat. Revolver landed, spinning, tipfirst, sinking into the ground with a loud slicing sound. Seifer picked up his Hyperion, with its old rapier-styled blade, and pointed it at me, as if he was indicating the loser._

_Anger filled me, and I grabbed Revolver by the handle, swinging it horizontally at Seifer's head. He dodged to the right and down, the blow missing his head by inches. We circled one another, his eyes staring into mine as we began to truly fight. Seifer spun gracefully, trying to bring Hyperion's blade to my neck in a fancy display, but I blocked it easily before swinging at him twice. The first swing was deflected, and the second missed entirely, and as I spun around to continue facing him, he took the spare moment to extend his hand and wave for me to come back, mockery spread across his face. He then pressed a light attack, a couple of easy swings I could deflect easily before I brought Revolver down with all of my strength. Seifer blocked, but I could feel him beginning to tire on the other side of the clashing metal._

_Seifer pressed a sudden, desperate attack, quick slices at my head whistling through the air, though his attacks were nowhere near as precise as I knew he could be. I evaded them easily enough, and then ran into the opening as he widened up, bringing Revolver down once, twice, both times hitting Seifer's gunblade, feeling his defense softening. I brought it down a third time, but Seifer managed to temporarily disarm me, swatting Revolver into the air. My reflexes, however were in tune with the battle, and I caught Revolver with a quick side jump, catching the weapon in midair before charging Seifer._

_Seifer extended an open hand towards me, fire being conjured within his palm. I recognized the magic, and brought up my blade to defend myself from the attack, but when the fire shot forth and connected with it, I was still knocked onto the seat of my pants. As I worked to stand up, I saw a shadow cover me, and I realized Seifer was already over me. A crazy rage was etched into Seifer's eyes, an expression of victory on his face as he brought his weapon above his head and brought it down, hard. A flash sparked, and blood flowed forth onto the ground. I couldn't see for a moment before I realized blood was in my eyes. I was still alive. Rage glazed the world red, and I lost control of my body. I felt my arms move, and heard the hammer of Revolver bang as the trigger forced the hammer to hit the concussion cartridge, and saw the blade connect with Seifer's brow. The red glaze of the world gave way to darkness, and I felt myself fall into its embrace._


	2. Chapter 1: Missed Prerequisite

**Chapter One: Missed Prerequisite**

Birds chirping in the distance stirred me from unconsciousness, and I tried opening my eyes. Sharp light stung them, so I took my time adjusting to its bright luminescence. As soon as I could see, I found myself looking at the familiar calming walls of the infirmary of Garden. I assumed Seifer hadn't been so dishonorable as to leave me there, or a fellow student had seen the fight and brought me there. The case was probably the latter of the two. I could feel a bandage crossing over the bridge of my nose, wrapped around my head, applying pressure to the scar Seifer must've given me.

The large, motherly form of Dr. Kadowaki came up beside the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her deep, soothing voice calming any sense of confusion I had previously. It took me a bit to voice a simple "okay" for her. She smiled knowingly, a mock annoyed tone crossing her voice as she emphasized her point: "Take it easy next time, you hear?" She gave me a quick appraisal before turning to the clipboard in hand, which I assume had her report on my visit. I sat up, supporting my torso with both hands.

"Looks like your eyes are focusing," she said, noting my condition. As if to quell any doubts of my condition, she added, "You should be fine. Say your name for me."

"Squall Leonhart, student number 41269." The response was almost automatic, as any other time that I had been in the infirmary or written up by the disciplinary committee for fighting with Seifer. She jotted something down on her clipboard, presumably the information I had just given her. She asked, "Why don't you take it easy in training? Next time, you may not be so lucky."

"Tell that to Seifer," I replied, annoyed that he was being spared the lecture I was getting. My scar burned sharply, briefly and I put a hand up to it. Her features softened before she scowled slightly.

"That Seifer… won't listen to anyone." She gave me a look of slight exasperation before asking, "Why don't you just ignore him?" I gave her a sharp look before taking my hand away, sighing in defeat, "I can't just run away." She gave me a knowing look before concern came back across her face.

"You wanna be cool, huh? Well, don't get hurt in the process. Let's see… your instructor is… Quistis! I'll call her now. Just wait here a minute." I lay back down onto the bed, a sense of exasperation filling me. I didn't particularly want my teacher to be brought into this, but it looked like it couldn't be helped. I could hear Dr. Kadowaki talking on the phone in the next room.

"Quistis? Come get your student. Yes, yes… His injury's not serious. It'll probably leave a scar. … Right. Now please come by." I listened to the birds chirping through the gentle breeze outside, waiting for the inevitable embarrassing escort to the classroom by my teacher before I heard a soft voice interrupt the stillness.

"Squall… so we meet again." I turned my head in the direction of the voice, but I only caught a glimpse of the figure. A girl with short brown hair wearing a blue sleeveless top and a white skirt was walking away from the other room. I heard the door to the medical wing and sharp heels hit the floor in a marching tempo before Quistis Trepe, my teacher, walked around over to my bed. She sighed upon seeing me before her usual knowing smile crossed her face. She came right over to the side of the bed with an I-knew-it attitude all over her face.

"I knew it'd be either you or Seifer!" Seifer and I fought enough for the entire Garden to notice, I suppose, so I didn't get why she was making such a big deal of it. I sat up, receding into myself as my face went completely neutral. I didn't want to deal with people much on this trip back to class. I sat up, ready for it as I heard my instructor say, "Come on, let's go. Today's the field exam." I mentally cursed before getting out of bed and starting to walk down the hall. As we walked, I couldn't help but think about the girl I had seen in the infirmary. She seemed familiar, somehow… but I couldn't place it.

"Squall, is there something on your mind?" My instructor's voice cut into my thoughts, and I suppressed showing my annoyance before I forced out, "… not really." She said the words as I did, and I vaguely became aware that she had stopped and was giggling to herself. I stopped and turned, a quizzical expression on my face.

"What's so funny?" I asked. She shook a hand in the air, dismissing my question as she explained, "Funny? No, no, it's not that. I'm just happy. I feel like I'm beginning to understand my student a little. That's all." She was barely containing her mirth, and I thought to quench it with a hard look and a hand on my hip.

"I'm more complex than you think," I said flatly. She gave in an inviting look as she almost pleaded, "Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself." I didn't even consider it as I turned around and started heading to the classroom. I barely muttered out of the corner of my mouth, "It's none of your –"

"Business!" she laughed as she caught up, hearing me and continuing to walk me back to the classroom. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I threw the bandage from my scar away in the nearest trash can. No way was I going to let Seifer see that I was weak enough to hide my scars. I could see people looking at me in slight awe or fear at me as I walked back to class, and wondered what the big deal was. Hadn't they seen a scar before?

I walked into class, seeing my fellow SeeD candidates in their little cliques, talking to one another as Quistis and I walked into the room. I could see Seifer, his hands over the adjoining desk backs, relaxed and coolly casual. He smirked at me as I sat at my desk, looking downward and just listening to the room out of the corner of my consciousness.

Quistis said, getting into her public speaking voice "Good morning class. Let's start with today's schedule." She walked over to sit in her ornate desk and continued, "There seem to have been some rumors flying around since yesterday… Yes, the field exam for SeeD candidates will begin later this afternoon." The classroom immediately buzzed with murmurs, classmates who were taking the exam hoping they and their friends were prepared for it. I mentally cursed, as I remembered that I was still one Junction short of being able to take the exam. I wondered if any teachers would be willing to support me before the exam.

Quistis sustained, "Those not participating and those who failed last week's written test are to remain here in study hall. Field exam participants have free time until the exam. Just be sure you're in top condition. Meet in the hall in 1600 hours. I'll announce the team assignments there. Any questions?" I didn't hear anyone offer anything before I heard her say sharply, "Oh, and Seifer!" I vaguely saw out of the corner of my eye Seifer turn his head slightly, as if humoring the instructor by listening to her.

"Do NOT injure your partner while training. Be careful from now on." I saw him look towards me before he shut off his computer with a heavy fist before reclining in his relaxed position. Quistis dismissed the class "Field exam participants, I will see you all later." I heard the other students get up and start leaving before I heard her add, "And Squall, I need to talk to you." I mentally cursed again, knowing she knew I didn't have enough Guardian Forces for the exam. I retreated to the barest of consciousness as I felt two other beings at the back of my mind. I silently greeted them, and felt a mutual feeling emanate from them before I came back into the waking world, getting up out of my desk and walking over towards the instructor. She was surrounded by her usual group of admirers, but they scattered to wait beside the door before I reached them. Quistis was looking at me in a somewhat surprised fashion.

"You haven't been to the Fire Cavern yet, have you? You won't be able to take part in today's SeeD exam if you don't pass this prerequisite." I had planned on going with my magic instructor this morning, but Seifer –

"Hm? Do you have a good excuse?" Her voice broke into my thoughts and I shrugged slightly, saying "Not really."

"Then let's get going. I'll be waiting at the front gate, so come down when you're ready." I walked past her out of the classroom and started down the hall. I could vaguely hear someone running and talking in a hurried tone before a feminine figure bowled into me. I was able to keep my balance as to stay on my feet, but the girl dropped onto the seat of her pants, screaming a whine as she fell. She was wearing a student uniform and had her brown hair styled to curl up so the ends pointed at the ceiling. She almost seemed as familiar as the girl in the infirmary, but I shook off the feeling, figuring I'd just seen someone who looked like her. The girl at the infirmary resurfaced to my mind, as I still didn't know who she was, but that I knew I'd never seen her around Garden before.

The girl in front of me picked herself up, "There." She had an apologetic look on her face as she said, "Sorry. I was kind of in a hurry." Her expression manically went to a look of remembrance as she said, "Oh yeah! Hey, did you just come from that class?" I nodded, and a look of apprehension crossed her face.

"Is… homeroom over?" I nodded again, and a look of defeat made her face pout. "Woo… oh no… This place is so much bigger than my last Garden." I completely dismissed the feeling of familiarity as I realized she was a transfer student, probably from Trabia Garden. They usually sent their cadets here to take the exam, as Balamb was notorious for sending their students out on more dangerous missions than Trabia.

"Oh, hey hey. I just transferred here," she said, confirming my suspicions, "Do you think you could give me a quick tour of this Garden?" Normally, I might have, as I felt a bit sorry for her, being new here. However, I didn't have a whole lot of time before I had to be back for the exam, so I told her so, and was met with a look of disappointment.

"Oh bummer. That's too bad. Well, see ya." She waved, looking fairly cheerful for someone who had missed homeroom as she headed to the class. I went back to the dorms quickly, grabbing my gunblade and fitting it inside my belts, which I used as a makeshift sheath, and filled my inside jacket pockets with concussion cartridges for it. I saw Quistis not long after, waiting outside the front gate, as she had said. She tried explaining things about Guardian Forces and Junctioning, but I'd remembered my lessons, and barely listened to her.

A Guardian Force is an entity that Garden uses to strengthen its SeeDs, the special fighters that Garden trains. Usually, a Guardian Force can be found in its natural form or within a monster. Garden has taught its candidates and SeeDs the Draw system, which allows us to store magic from monsters or the earth itself within ourselves for future use. But another use for the Draw system is to pull out Guardian Forces from monsters, when we find a Guardian Force that's trapped inside one. If a Guardian Force is encountered in its natural form, it must be defeated in order to join someone.

Another technique Garden has taught us SeeDs is the Junction technique. This allows us to strengthen ourselves in various ways by applying magical effects to our strengths and weaknesses. We can speed our reflexes with the powers of the air or add damage to our strikes with the power of fire, and so on and so forth. We can even nullify the damage that extreme cold should do to us, if we wish, or ensure that a creature can't magically blind us. It comes in quite handy, when you prepare for a battle adequately.

We can Junction Guardian Forces to ourselves as well, and - depending on which one we have Junctioned - lets us Junction certain magics to the strengths and weaknesses that Guardian Force is attributed to. A Junctionable Guardian Force only looks like a small gemstone, depending on which one we have. When we Junction a Guardian Force to ourselves, the gemstone dissipates from reality as the being becomes part of your consciousness. If I didn't have them already Junctioned to me, I would have a peridot and an opal, the gemstones of Quezacotl and Shiva respectively.

Seifer and I never used Guardian Forces or magic (until this last duel) when we fought. It was an unspoken rule, that neither of us would hold back, and that we would use the best of our latent human strength and reflexes. However, something in him had changed recently. He had always been rather cocky and full of himself, but there was now a very subtle sense of desperation about him. Though I never said it to anyone, I had a feeling it was because this was his last year that he could become a SeeD. His academic skills were as impeccable as mine, but it was his unwillingness to follow orders to the letter that kept failing his exams. He was eighteen years of age, a year older than me, and the highest age that a SeeD candidate could be. If he didn't pass the exam today, he would never become a SeeD.

"Ready to go?" Quistis' voice broke through my thoughts and I nodded, letting her direct me to the cavern. I had already prepared after hearing stories out of the corner of my ears about the Fire Cavern. Just the name gave away the volcanic temperament of the place, so I had gone about the previous days walking along the beach, killing large finned creatures called fastitocalon fish and Drawing ice magic from them. Shiva even gave me the ability to refine water magic from their fins, and Quezacotl allowed me to refine more powerful magics from the spells I Drew from the monsters. I felt extremely prepared for the upcoming fight.

The only impediment to the trip over the grassy plains was some monstrous flies known as bite bugs that I was quickly able to swat away with my gunblade. Quistis tried asking if I remembered how to use the trigger system of it, but I pointedly ignored her. The gunblade was an exotic weapon few could master, and I had spent my whole life, for as long as I could remember, getting used to the odd balance of weight. It required patience, balance, strength and a keen sense of timing to master the heavy blade which ended the extended revolveresque handle. I held a deep amount of personal pride in myself for conquering the use of such a difficult weapon, and felt annoyed that my instructor would question my skill with it.

We eventually made it to the fire cavern, and she tried explaining more about the Junction system as it applied to magic, and I ignored her again. She even went so far as to ask if I remembered how to use Revolver again, and I gave her a sharp look as I snapped, "I already know it." I was getting pretty irritated with her. Just because I wasn't using all of the cartridges I had didn't mean I didn't know how to use them. I simply knew I'd have to reserve them for the main battle. She put her hands up in surrender, "Oh, okay. I was just concerned, that's all. All right, let's go!"

We strode up to the entrance of the cave, a rocky scar in the grassy woodlands of Balamb. We met the security force that guarded the entrance of the cave, only allowing SeeD candidates with trained SeeDs in, so as to minimize casualties. One said from his post, "Objective: To obtain a low-level GF. A SeeD member must support. Are you ready?" After affirming I was, I gave him my name and cadet number. Quistis spoke up, saying, "I'm his support. Instructor Number 14, Quistis Trepe." The robed guard appraised us before he said, "Select a time limit. Choose one suited to your abilities. Challenging yet reasonable. You may choose in increments of ten minutes, no less than ten, and no more than forty."

"It'll take me ten minutes," I said coolly, hearing a small gasp from behind me. The robed guard said, "Very well. Good luck." The two guards stepped aside and let me and Quistis pass. The heat blasted me like bad breath, the stench of sulfur invading my nostrils. Still, I pressed onward, knowing Quistis was timing me, out of duty. If she was going to say anything about the time limit I had put myself to, she decided not to. Instead, she just spoke with a hesitant tone, as if wondering if I could pull this off or not.

"My job is to support you in battle. Everything else is up to you." I said "fine" over my shoulder as we continued on the small rocky path deeper into the cavern, magma flowing around either side of us. She had a smile in her voice as she continued, "You know, the boys often choke on this test when I come with them. I guess my charm makes them nervous." I didn't even dignify her with a response before I heard an apologetic, "I'm just kidding! Trying to keep you relaxed is all."

I didn't need to be relaxed. I knew what was coming and I knew I needed to steel myself for it, not get chilled out. I grinned to myself as I continued along, considering my mental pun. As we walked further into the contrasting darkness of the cave and light from the magma, I heard the burbling from the volcanic liquid grow louder. It was the only warning before two blobs of magma came hurtling at us from both sides of the pathway. I ducked, the one aimed at me missing my hair by inches, and watched as two spherical monsters settled in front of us. They looked like giant round heads of fire with small arms attached, their hair licks of flames and their maws filled with fangs of light.

"BOMB!" Quistis shouted, "an elemental monster. Use an ice attack for these." I was already a step ahead of her, Shiva's ice magics coursing through my veins to power the damage dealt with Revolver. I Drew some fire magic from the Bomb as I stood up. It was the only kind of magic I felt I needed that I didn't have. The Bomb hurled itself at me, jaws snapping as it popped and crackled with fire. It singed my jacket a bit, but didn't hurt me too badly. I ran at the one in front of me, raising Revolver over my head and swinging downward. The power of a blizzard flowed through my weapon and froze the flames that made up the monster before it fell to the rocky path and shattered in a hundred pieces. A heard a sharp snap beside me, and I looked, wondering if the other bomb was about to try biting me and be more successful. However, it turned out that Quistis' whip had made short work of it. By the looks of the icey shards on the ground, she had most of the same idea, having cast an ice spell before shattering the bomb with a quick flick of her whip. I nodded approvingly before continuing further, Junctioning the fire magic I had Drawn to my elemental defense, hoping to protect myself from getting burned in the upcoming battle.

As I saw the core of the cavern, the pathway leading to a rocky circular hole in the ground, I heard Quistis say, "I guess I was right. You and Seifer are both in a class of your own. You both have amazing strength and potential." I appreciated the comment but didn't respond as we drew closer to the hole. As we approached, Quistis said, "Okay, this is it. Are you ready?" I waved her question off, steeling myself for the impending fight. "You seem confident enough," she commented. The hole glowed yellow before smoke began blowing hard out of it. Beams of yellow light scorched through the hole to the ceiling as a demonic being flew out. It was a brown lionlike humanoid, its hands tipped with vicious-looking black claws. It had a mane of crimson red hair and two giant black horns that curved over its mane to point at its back. A small tuft of red fur kept its hunched form modest, and it was thickly muscular, two golden wristbands its only clothing. It opened its mouth once, the vocal chords in its throat making it speak more than lip movements: "You puny humans dare to challenge me?"

It threw its hands forward as if it was throwing a discus and a ball of flames formed in its palm the moment before it propelled towards me. Quistis jumped back, as though to not be caught in the blast, and I brought Revolver up to block myself from the blast. Due to my foresight, the blast didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have, and the demon grunted slightly approvingly, as though he liked the fact I wouldn't be defeated so easily. I dropped Revolver's blade to my side before charging him, letting out a guttural roar as I brought the weapon up to cleave into him. He brought up one of his arms, and my blade clanged against its wristband, not penetrating. It grinned before grabbing me with the arm it had blocked with by my shirt and punching me with the other hand, letting me go just as it connected. I flew backward and barely kept my wits enough to land on my feet, gasping for air as I tried to recuperate.

I heard a snap and looked up, seeing Quistis try to distract the beast. She was casting ice spells at it and snapping her whip dramatically. The ice spells seemed to hurt him, but he finally grabbed the end of her whip and lashed her against the ground, knocking her prone. I fled into my mind, asking for aide. I felt a cold chill course through me as I realized who answered, and I felt a voice say from within, _Just give me a little time…_

The demon turned back towards me, seeing me as more of a threat, or at least, more amusing to play with. "Impudent humans!" it spat. He leaped forward, bringing his fist down to pummel me into the ground, but I rolled aside at the last minute, barely evading him. I could feel the small chill I had felt intensify, my breath becoming more and more visible, my movements growing stiffer. The lion demon cast another ball of fire in my direction, but this time, I not only blocked it; I was able to deflect it with a tip of my weapon, sending it back to the magma nearby.

I finally felt the being was ready, and I allowed her to emerge from the back of my mind. Three silver-blue spheres flew from the ceiling to the ground, creating a sheen of ice that was soon pierced by an ice stalagmite. A single figure, a blonde nubile woman with blue ice barely covering her anatomy lay within, her arms crossed across her chest. Her eyes opened and she uncrossed her arms, the stalagmite shattering into shards. She drew her arms back over her head and conjured a ball of light before casting it towards the demon. Ice magically covered all of the demon before shattering off of it, leaving it heavily weakened. The woman faded from reality, and I thanked her at the back of my mind.

"THEY HAVE SHIVA!" the demon roared, a sense of fear in its voice now. I grinned and charged it again, jumping into the air and slicing into it while it was caught off-guard. My adrenaline was pumping, and I slashed at it with anger flowing through me, pulling the trigger of Revolver just before each blow connected, and making the scars I gave it open up even wider. As it stood, breathing raggedly, I dragged the tip of Revolver's blade across the ground and drew it up, magical light flowing through the ground and aiding my attack as I drove my blade into its belly. Blood flowed over my hands as it roared in rage and defeat.

"For me to lose to a human…" he muttered, his mouth barely open. It then opened wider, into a sort of half-grin before he said, "Very well, I will join you. Call me Ifrit. Tell me when you want something burned." He began to glow, and I pulled Revolver out of him, my hand already extended, as I knew what to expect. His glowing mass shrank until it was only a small marble. The glow faded away to reveal an immaculate ruby, which landed softly in my hand.

I immediately Junctioned Ifrit since I wanted to use his strength for future battles. An intense heat and pressure sparked inside my chest, almost seeming as if some of the magma in the Fire Cavern had gotten into my blood. A primal rage contorted my face for a moment before both the heat and the anger normalized. I nodded to Quistis, an indication that I was ready to leave. She told me I had only had twenty more seconds before I would have run out of time. I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked to the outside of the cave.


	3. Chapter 2: Storming Dollet

**Chapter Two: Storming Dollet**

The way out of the cave proved to be uneventful, save for Quistis trying to regale me with how Junctioning elements to my attack and defense will help me in future battles. All it took was a simple eyebrow raise to get her silent. She apologized, saying she just wanted to make sure I understood everything about Junctions. I wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, tired of her endless combat tutorials and lack of faith in me. I decided to take a shortcut through a small wooded forest.

I could see the Garden through the trees as I heard a familiar sound, a noise you hoped you never heard in the Training Center… the rhythmic snapping of trees as if they were twigs. A guttural roar tore through the air, and I dove to the side, rolling on my shoulder as I turned to face my attacker.

Quistis screamed, "T-Rexaur! Squall, be careful!" I knew about this creature before I even saw the red and brown scales on the lizard-like monster. I had read about them in the Garden texts, and I knew that they were the most powerful monsters in the Balamb area. My instructor threw in an unnecessary, "Sometimes it's better to run!" The fires of Ifrit burned for a challenge, and I unsheathed Revolver to answer it.

The monster charged, its mouth agape, fangs promising to tear into my skin. I leapt, and managed to land on the side of its neck as its head replaced the space where I used to be. I brought down Revolver in a heavy swipe, but the beast didn't seem to notice. Looking down, I realized that the fire magic I had drawn from the cavern's monsters was still in tune with my weapon, and I cursed myself for my idiocy. The reptilian creature spun, knocking me off, but I landed deftly onto my feet. It continued spinning, and I saw its tail heading to impact with my head. I sidestepped and ducked, and felt the breeze as the limb missed me by inches.

I hadn't foreseen this battle, but I wasn't about to let my new victory be ruined by such an oversight. I reached within me for the cold magic I had prepared for my fight with Ifrit. I felt the temperature on my right arm drop radically, and my hand shot forth, outstretched, and ice crystals coalesced in thin air. The spears of frozen water ripped through the air and tore into the monster's throat before freezing the wounds and slowing its current charge. It staggered, apparently weakened, and I took advantage of the moment. The fire magic coursing through Revolver flash-fried the ice and created a reaction that burned through its innate resistance to fire. I heard the creature choke and rasp before its gigantic body fell with a heavy thud into the forest ground. I pulled the massive blade out of its throat and jogged to catch up with Quistis, who was standing at the forest's entrance.

The rest of the walk back to Garden was relatively peaceful, and the soothing blue and white of the base was soothing, considering my last two battles. Although I remained calm on the surface, I was hiding my unease at my last two close calls. Even with all of the preparation I had gone through to pass the test, it felt like blind luck had gotten me through it. My instructor tried giving me another lesson on Guardian Forces, but another sharp look stopped her cold.

"Okay, I get it. Change into your uniform and assemble at the first floor lobby." A twinge of annoyance ran through my head, but I knew there was no point in arguing with her. During exams, it was required that all SeeDs wear the traditional uniform, instead of their casual clothing. Most of the students wore their uniforms anyways, not a hallway devoid of the blue and silver of the SeeD cadet colors, but I preferred the ensemble I wore because it allowed maximum maneuverability. I didn't like getting used to clothing that hindered my movement.

I walked to the dorms, and quickly checked the panel by the door. My roommate wasn't in there, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as I swiped my card through the machine and entered the small two-bedroom suite. I quickly changed out of my black leathers and threw on the embroidered jacket and pants before heading to the massive lobby. Quistis stood there with a laserpen and a clipboard, which I assumed had the team assignments. As she saw me, she waved and called me over.

"I'll be announcing the squad assignments for the exam now. Let's see… you'll be with Zell Dincht." A bemused smirk crossed her face as she saw my displeasure. I barely suppressed a groan. Seifer and I were known for our intense rivalry, but Zell was just obnoxious. One of the only martial artists in the Garden, he was constantly shadowboxing around the base, often accompanied by loud panting or dramatic yells.

"Quite a lively fellow," the instructor followed up. She knew the team assignments were getting to me, and a knowing look was plastered across her face.

"Lively? He's just loud," I stated flatly, "Can't I switch members?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible," she said before calling over my squad member. Turning, I saw the blue-eyed blonde, his usual gel in place, spiking up the front of his hairstyle. A tribal tattoo, claw-like in shape, ran down the left side of his face, enhancing the feral, wolfish grin proudly displayed on his mouth. He was wearing the same uniform I was, but his sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, and it looked like he had ripped some of the seams a bit to give him more room to move. I made a note of the modifications, in case I found it necessary to implement them in the future.

He was in the middle of one of his usual routines, a spinning kick here, a knife-handed block there, before he heard his name called. He planted his hands on the ground, flipping towards us before executing a spinning free-hand flip and giving us the thumbs-up, as if he was the best thing since crystallicution. I'll admit he had skill, but he thought far too highly of himself.

"Whoa! I'm with you?!" He seemed impressed enough, even going so far as to wipe the sweat off of his hand, residue from his cardiac work-out clinging to it, and extending it in welcome. I didn't take it. He eventually got the hint, but still tried getting friendly with me.

"You don't get along with Seifer, do you? Heard he whooped you pretty bad this morning." A flash of anger rose from my chest. I hated the rumor mill that seemed to spread gossip like wildfire around Garden.

"We weren't fighting," I corrected him; "We were training."

"I bet you he doesn't think so," he replied with an annoyingly cocky tone, "Look, Seifer's just being a pain in the ass. All you have to do is ignore him." First Kadowaki, now this guy.

"That's –"

"None of your business," Quistis finished for me. I barely took the chance to look at her, knowing she'd still have her knowing smirk plastered on her face. She cleared her throat and continued, "Excuse me, but that… Seifer… you're talking about… He's your squad leader." Zell stepped back slightly, more upset than I was with this announcement.

"SAY WHAT?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Quistis told him the same thing she had told me about team assignments, and soon, I heard the tap-tap of three pairs of shoes growing closer. As Quistis called for our squad leader, Seifer and the two others turned the corner into the lobby towards us. The one on his left side was a thin woman with silvery hair, wearing a blue shirt and dark pants with an eyepatch over her left eye. Her name was Fujin, and she was known for being ruthlessly efficient as an appointed member of the Disciplinary Committee that Seifer headed. On Seifer's other side was a dark-skinned man in loose, padded clothing, tape wrap around his forearms. His name was Raijin, and he was known for taking bribes to not report violations of Garden's rules. You wouldn't know it by looking at these two, but they were brother and sister. Whether by adoption or different parents, no one knew, but despite their usual antics (which usually consisted of Fujin kicking her brother around), they were almost inseparable, and always tagging along with Seifer.

Looking at Seifer, Quistis said, "You're the squad leader. Good luck to you." As she jotted down something on the clipboard, Seifer ran a glove through his dirty-blonde hair.

"…Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck," he purred menacingly, as if he held some sway over her, "Save those words for a bad student that needs them, eh?" His cronies nodded behind him in agreement, as they usually did. Quistis nodded, her face almost approvingly as she said, "Ok then." Without missing a beat, she turned to face him fully and said with a sharp tone, "Good luck, Seifer." Zell chuckled, and even I couldn't help but smile tightly. Seifer shook for a minute as he glared at Quistis before slicing a finger through the air, indicating something to Fujin.

"Add Intructor Trepe to the list." I didn't know what it meant, but it couldn't be anything good. Quistis didn't seem to take him too seriously.

"You're all assigned to Squad B. I'll be the instructor in charge. Teamwork is of the utmost importance. Let's get through this exam, everyone!" She was trying to inspire us, getting us to work together, but Seifer's sharp words almost encouraged a strike from Zell, "Listen up! Teamwork means staying out of my way. It's a Squad B rule. Don't you forget it." As Zell brought back a hand to punch Seifer, calm words from nearby stopped him.

"Everyone here?" Coming around the corner was the respected headmaster of Garden, Cid Kramer. He was one of the founders of Garden, and had watched over Balamb's Garden for many years. The wrinkles on his portly face spoke of experience, and complimented the almost eternal smile he wore quite well. He was a stout fellow, and spoke with the air of a scholar, always addressing everyone with kindness and respect. He was dressed in his traditional red vest and brown pants, a pair of spectacles just below his eyes. We could tell he wanted to give one of his famous speeches, and even Zell calmed down to listen to him.

"It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing? This exam will involve twelve members from Squads A through D. You will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously, the battles are real. Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace… Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How 'bout it? Are you still up for it? You will be accompanied by nine SeeD members. Should you fail, these members will get the job done. They always do. Well, that's one less worry on your mind. The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Learn from them, obey their commands and accomplish the mission. Prove yourself worthy of becoming a SeeD. Best of luck."

Zell seemed truly inspired, his face beaming as he clenched his fists at his side, as if having trouble waiting to bring them to the enemy's face. Seifer just seemed impatient, unable to stand waiting to be sent to the battlefield. I wasn't sure what to think. I'd fought mindless monsters before, but this was going to be different. We were probably going to be fighting soldiers ready to die for a cause… I tried not to think about it.

We made our way to the green and yellow APC that served as a transport for the cadets. Zell sat next to me as the instructor and Seifer took up the other bench. I hunched over, my arms crossed, hoping my body language would imply my desire to be left alone. Zell, however, did not pick up on such things.

"Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" Even if I wasn't as territorial about my equipment as I was, he could see it perfectly fine, holstered in my belts. I remained silent.

"C'mon, man!" He shook my shoulder, and I tried to use his advice for Seifer on him, in the hope that he would leave me alone.

"Just a peek?!" he asked, holding his index finger and thumb barely far apart to indicate what he wanted. I could hear him, but I forced myself into a quiet meditation. I didn't feel like being bothered, and I wasn't going to let him.

"Tch, fine…" he resigned, "Yeah, yeah… Why you bein' so selfish?! Scrooooge!" He was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wouldn't have it. I refused to let any emotion cross my face. Suddenly, I could tell he was worried. This struck me as odd, enough to catch me slightly off-guard.

"Say somethin', will ya?! W-what's on your mind?" I didn't want to think about the mission, or what it entailed. I didn't want to stress out about the exam. I didn't want to think, so I gave him the answer I wished was true.

"… nothing." My instructor said the word as I did, and a flash of annoyance flickered again across my mind before I let it go, resigned that my instructor was going to prove at any opportunity that she knew me better than I wanted her to. My thoughts turned to the duel this morning, and the incident with the mysterious girl in the infirmary as Zell stood up and started shadowboxing. It was easy to ignore, but I heard Seifer groan slightly before he started in on the tattooed man.

"Stop that… it's annoying." As Zell turned towards him, Seifer took the moment of his attention to antagonize him: "Chicken-wuss." Zell exploded, his hands up in a boxing stance.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Seifer began chuckling at Zell's attempt at intimidation until Quistis stood up, her hand on her hip as she sharply addressed both of them.

"Knock it off!" Her annoying façade was immediately gone, the sternness of an instructor taking her over completely. Zell shoved himself back onto the bench as Quistis settled back down, shaking her head at having to discipline the two of them. Unable to stifle my curiosity, I decided to get her attention.

"… Instructor… who was that girl in the infirmary this morning?" Quistis blinked blankly at me before brushing her hair out of her eyes and saying, "Was someone there? I didn't notice anybody. Is there a problem?" Deciding to drop the subject, I said, "No… not really…" Seifer began chuckling again, and for a moment, I was curious about what was on his mind. I didn't even need to ask him to share.

"This is great… I have Chicken-wuss and a guy who just reached puberty in my squad…" Zell seethed, Quistis brought her palm to her forehead, and I would have rolled my eyes if I felt like feeding into his crap. I refused.

The trip through Balamb didn't take too long. It was a small fishing town where the busiest sections were the port and the train station. As the APC stopped, Seifer got out before me. The APC had brought us to the port, and on the water floated a Cutter, a sort of half-submarine that specialized in slicing through ice. I knew that the Garden had a fleet of them, considering out close we were to the northern pole, but I couldn't think of a civilization, other than Trabia, that would require vessels with those specifications. Considering that Trabia had its own Garden, I wondered what our test was going to take place, and where.

"So that's the vessel…?" I couldn't suppress, alerting Seifer to my thoughts. His voice had a tone of excitement to it, "Ain't no turning back now." He turned to me, and a look of sincere concern crossed his face, "Huh, you scared, too?" I wasn't sure how to answer his vulnerable expression. I never knew until then that he had it in him.

"Hey! You guys are the last! Hurry up and get in!" The Garden staff's voice broke my concentration, and I began steeling myself for the journey ahead. Seifer's face quickly became an emotionally devoid mask as he began heading towards the blue vessel.

"Don't disappoint me now." I understood that he saw some of himself in me as he said that, and I almost felt a pang of camaraderie for the squad leader. Almost.

"Come on, move it!" Quistis yelled from behind us, getting out of the APC and running to get into the vessel. Zell wasn't far behind her, an excited grin on his face. I squeezed into the tight portal and sat down in the narrow benches. Inside, it was cramped, with barely enough room for six seats, a small table and the briefing screen. Xu, Cid's unofficial second-in-command, was already on board, and greeted us as we entered. She smiled particularly at Quistis, betraying their friendship.

"Well, these are the members of Squad B," Quistis reported, extending an arm to punctuate her words. Xu took an appraising look at each of us. Zell saluted, bringing his hand up to be level with his eyes, showing her the back of it.

"Nice to meet ya!" Zell's enthusiasm wasn't being dampened by anything at this point. He had a nervous energy about him, barely keeping himself standing still. I saluted as well, but was much more reserved. I was saving every ounce of energy for the battle to come.

"Pleased to meet you," I said with a neutral tone. She nodded to me and then an almost condescending expression came over her face as her eyes swooped down on Seifer, who not only had kept sitting, but was resting his feet on the center table, the pinnacle of disrespect.

"Seifer, how many times has it been now?" Xu needled him. Seifer yawned and replied, "Oh, I just love these exams…" I could tell, though, that he was trying to put a brave face to the administration. I knew this was his last chance to become a SeeD. Next year, he would be too old.

"I'll explain the current situation and the mission," Xu started as she passed Quistis and Zell to stand beside the briefing screen. Zell sat as she proceeded: "Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made eighteen hours ago." A technical map of the peninsula city of Dollet flashed onto the screen, giving a geographical view before the green grid of a tactical map overlaid it.

"Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about seventy-two hours ago. Forty-nine hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city." Red markers were displayed on the city map of the G-Army's previous position, before moving towards the mainland as Xu continued, "Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status, now onto the mission objective: according to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region." The map moved upwards toward the mainland and a blue arrow came down from the top of the screen.

"We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach." A tactical red trajectory node cut across the map, showing us where on the beach we would be landing. She passed out a printout of two sheets, one with the peninsula seen from the side, and the other with tactical data on it as she continued, "We're to eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city and liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region." The blue arrow from before now split into three different ones, seeming to attack red markers that could only indicate G-Army's position. The screen then faded back to the traditional Garden wallpaper.

"So what are WE supposed to do?" Seifer said next to me, as if asking for the point of it all. Xu gave him an exasperated look, and replied, "SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city."

"Sounds important!" Zell said, revving himself up for the task at hand.

"Sounds boring, "Seifer replied with a mock yawn, "So what you're saying is, we do all the little dirty work…" He was implying that what we had to do wasn't a challenge, and Xu caught that, but her air of authority only strengthened as she turned to deal with him, "Oh, it hardly needs to be said, but the order to withdraw takes priority. Do not forget." We all knew what she was really telling him: he needed to make sure he followed SeeD orders. He had a famous problem with authority (ironically enough, seeing as he headed the Disciplinary Committee), and always did what he thought was best, despite everyone else.

"We're almost there," Xu said, looking at her timepiece on her wrist, "We anticipate a battle as soon as we disembark. Just be prepared. That's all. Any questions, talk to Quistis." She took her leave, heading back to the cockpit. I stayed in my seat, hunched over as I listened to Zell panting through his breathing exercises, and Quistis looking over her clipboard of notes.

"We'll be landing pretty soon. Get ready," Quistis warned us. Seifer nodded, before turning to me, "Well then, Squall. Go see what's going on outside." I could tell he was testing me, making sure that I was going to follow his orders as squad leader. I buried the feeling of resentment for his conduct at the duel and forced out an affirmative. "Good. Because it's MY order," he said as I stood up and climbed the ladder to the gunner's post.

The sun was down enough so that the full moon was barely visible behind the dark clouds. The Cutters began speeding up as Dollet came over the horizon. I pulled the map Xu had given us and pressed the tactical data over the bare map. Now knowing exactly where we were entering. I felt the vessel beneath me speed up, and I saw that the pilot wasn't going for complicated maneuvers. A solid stone wall lay in its path between us and Dollet. Suddenly, I knew why we had taken Cutters to land at this beach. I narrowed my eyes, steeling myself for the rocky landing.

I slid down the ladder, sitting back on the bench, and quickly strapping myself in. The others already were, but I gave them a quick warning, "Hold on." With that, the vessel lurched, as I imagined we cut straight through the wall, probably taking a chunk out of it as we did so. Soon, the back doors opened and we unbuckled ourselves, racing out. Grenade explosions were going off all around us and G-Army soldiers ran up the beach, retreating. Before we could go after them, Quistis gave us our squad specific orders: "Ok, you are to secure the Central Square!"

Seifer calmly stepped towards the chaotic beach, and said, "Come on, let's move out," before running ahead of us, his trench coat waving wildly behind him. Zell gave me an irritated look as we made our way up the beach, ready for battle.


	4. Chapter 3: Call of the Satellite

**Chapter Three: Call of the Satellite**

Troops met us as we ran up the stairs that led to the streets of Dollet. They wore gray visors with red lenses, blue loose-fitting uniforms spotted with a main silver chestplate, as well as shoulder and knee armor. They bore swords with scatterguns implemented into the handguards. They never stood a chance.

I ran at the first pair, watching Seifer slice through the first's chest, a stream of crimson spraying the once-pristine archway that acted as an entrance. I leaped and brought down Revolver on the other's jugular. I was surprised at how easy it was, then realized as we kept running, Seifer always a yard ahead, that it was probably because of the eye-concealing visors. If we can't see the eyes of our enemy go dead, we won't feel the loss. I put the self-analysis on the backburner as we came up to a bridge over our heads, and two more G-Army soldiers jumped down to meet us.

Zell ran up, almost getting landed on by one of the troopers. A flurry of movement later, I heard a trio of wet snaps. The soldier fell, his leg at an odd angle with the bone inside it broken. The other soldier brought up the scattergun muzzle even with Zell's head, his intentions obvious. I ran faster, and brought Revolver up at an angle, cleaving the gun in half at the weapon's junction with the sword. Useless, the soldier began backing away, sputtering surrenders to us. That didn't matter to Seifer. The merciless man brought Hyperion down, beheading the soldier instantly.

Seifer was in a state of bloodlust. His eyes were almost crazed as he yelled, "Hey! All you Galbadian cowards out there! Come out'n show your faces! Don't leave me hangin' now!" He continued running up ahead of us, to get the first pick of victims. If I didn't know that this was the only thing he ever did well, I would have said he'd completely lost it. I knew better, but he was treading a fine line between being a zealot of a warrior and becoming a Section Eight.

"… what an idiot," Zell said behind me. Oversimplified, maybe, but he didn't understand Seifer the way I did. We had gotten to know each other a long time, through petty Garden squabbles and duels. The fires of combat had honed us, and we wanted to be ready for anything. Despite our rivaling camaraderie, I did think Zell had a point that to push ourselves as far as Seifer was sure wasn't going to lead to anything good.

The center of the town came into view, a huge white fountain the centerpiece of the circular block, shops and apartments surrounding us. A lone brown dog was padding around, occasionally sitting down and scratching its ear with a hind leg. A few Galbadian fighters were behind the fountain, attempting vainly to hide. Their ambush was expected, the feral instincts of the Guardian Forces sharpening our senses to the point where we could hear them breathing from fifty feet away.

There were just two of them. Seifer seemed disappointed. "Is that it?" he yelled as he brought Hyperion's blade directly through one of the enemy's chests. Zell made short work of the other one, grabbing him by the arm, casting him to the ground, and then bringing his foot down on the soldier's chest, instantly sending the enemy troop into cardiac arrest.

"I think that's all of them," I observed, quickly looking down the streets to see if any remaining troops were heading towards us. The dog started padding towards Seifer, looking at him with an expression that pleaded for affection, or maybe just food. Our squad leader was trying to ignore it as he stood, looking out towards the rest of the city, knowing his duty and desires were conflicting.

"Well then, we're on standby 'til the enemy comes. Standby… how boring…" The dog whined at Seifer, who walked pointedly away from it. Further within the city, we could hear the sounds of a pitched battle heating up.

"Sounds like it's starting," Seifer observed, and his expression soured even further for a moment, before a grin spread across his face. "Bring it on," he whispered to no one in particular, as if hoping some of the fight would come our way." The dog barked, nipping at the end of his jacket. He couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Get outta here! Scram!" he screamed before swinging his fist above its head. The dog ducked away and went to a shop entrance to watch us from a distance. Seifer ran over to one of the street entrances and began swinging his gunblade around, and yelled, "Hey! Galbadian soldiers! What are you waiting for? Come show me what you got!" The dog barked, finally seeming to get how dangerous Seifer was.

We waited. Hours passed. Zell took to pacing, since Seifer once warned him about his shadowboxing, even to the point of bringing Hyperion's blade to his neck. I had to break it up. Now they were separated, and I kept the space between them. The dog padded over to me, panting with the apparent smile on its face. Seifer stood over by a wall, tapping the back of Hyperion's blade against his shoulder, staring off into space and brooding.

"Still keeping us waiting…?" Seifer said to no one in particular. Something snapped in him, and he swung his gunblade around again in a dramatic fashion, yelling, "That's it! I can't take it anymore! What is this, some kind of dog training?" I thought he was about to go storming off, either back to the ship or into the battle, which seemed to have died down from what we could hear. The dog began howling, before ducking into a shop's entrance and I heard footsteps approaching us. Zell and I ducked behind the fountain and saw two familiar blue uniforms heading quickly through the edge of the town center.

"It's the enemy," I said quietly. "Where the hell they goin'?" Zell wondered aloud. Looking in the direction of the street the two soldiers had exited in, we saw a hilltop rising above the buildings' peaks. On top of the hill seemed to be a tower of some sort.

"Hey? What is that up there?" Zell asked, repeating the obvious question on both of our minds. Seifer pointed his gunblade down the street and said, "Our next destination," a cruel grin on his face. Zell's eyes widened and he walked right up to Seifer, blurting, "But that's against orders!"

"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer asked coolly. Zell looked at me with an exasperated expression, knowing he had talked himself into a corner. I kept apart from those two. I knew what we were supposed to be doing, but some part of me yearned for combat. After the brief clashes with the initial Galbadian troops, waiting around seemed like it crashed my energy. Perhaps it was just the fires of Ifrit stoking this temper, but I wanted that battle high again.

"I stand by the captain's decision," I said. Seifer turned, a surprised look on his face. "… Captain's decision?" he asked, as if waiting for an explanation. He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder, saying knowingly, "You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" I brushed his hand off with my arm, explaining, "It's a good opportunity to test out my training. Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone, even if they do fight dirty, like you." The duel from the last night was still crystal clear in my mind, and my resentment for his tactics hadn't faded.

"You'll thank me when the time comes," Seifer said. This elicited a curse from Zell, who came up behind us.

"What the hell… I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like, all buddy-buddy now. Listen. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders," Zell said, the voice of reason. Seifer leveled him with a glare, saying, "Then stay here. I don't need any boy scouts." Zell exploded, "What was that?" curling his hands into fists. The dog began barking, sensing the conflict. I shook my head and said, "Don't take him seriously, Zell." I thought it was a little ironic, considering his first words to me earlier today, but he seemed to take Seifer's words closer to heart than I did.

"Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry," I urged. Seifer nodded and gave us our next orders: "The enemy is headed for the facility. We, Squad B, are to secure the summit. Move out!" He started running towards the city limits as Zell cursed again and the two of us began following him. We crossed a long, narrow bridge heading out of the city, and began making our way up the hill. Dollet soldiers in armor similar to the Galbadians', wearing green colors instead of blue, lay injured on either side of the pass.

As we began making our way up stair imbedded into the hill, a soldier crawled out of some bushes and screamed upon seeing us.

"W-w-who are you?" he asked, alarmed. I tried to calm him, "Don't worry. We're SeeD candidates. We've been dispatched by Garden." Seifer jerked his head towards the summit, asking, "So what's going on up there?" The soldier replied, "The Galbadian soldiers have entered the Communications Tower. On top of that… that place has always been a nesting ground for monsters. If you guys are goin' up there, be caref-"

His words were cut off sharply as he began getting dragged back into the bushes. He screamed for help, one of his hands extended. I rushed over and grabbed it, trying to help with my enhanced strength. My own hands were almost bitten off as a set of razor-sharp fangs jerked forward, and the mouth of a serpentine monster completely engulfed the Dollet soldier. I let go and unsheathed Revolver, preparing for battle.

The creature slithered out, revealing its form. Its snakelike body was tipped with spikes, and its neck frilled out beneath its head into a hood. It rapidly slithered towards Seifer, trying to wrap him in its coils, but he jumped over its curling body. Zell brought his fists down on the monster's midsection, but was quickly whipped off by the beast's inhuman strength. I tried taking its head off, but it spat a blackish-purple liquid that temporarily blinded me. I could hear grunts and hisses through the haze, keeping Revolver close to me.

When my ailment lifted itself, I saw Zell looking very proud of himself, a foot atop the monster's death-mask. Seifer looked irritated, but quickly redirected his gaze to the top of the tower, an expression almost hopeful on his face.

"Monsters, huh?" he said, grinning.

"That sucks," Zell said, as if the effort to subdue this latest one was more than he was used to. Seifer gave us that cruel grin of his before saying, "More fun for us. Come on…" Zell scoffed, but still followed regardless. I wondered how Zell was going to hold up against the rest of the monsters, given his given choice of combat. Regular soldiers like the Galbadian Army were one thing, but there were all sorts of monsters with nasty abilities that were dangerous to get too close to. However, having witnessed that Zell could take down the snake-like creature, I had enough confidence that we wouldn't need to carry him out on a stretcher.

We continued upwards until we came to a small plateau above the tower's entrance. Our squad ducked behind some boulders, and we watched one of the Galbadian troops come out of the tower, talking to the two guards outside the door.

"The generator is up and running!" he reported, the guards saluting him when he joined them. "No problem with the boosters!" another said as Seifer and I exchanged quizzical glances. "… the hell they doin'?" he whispered. "Cable disconnection confirmed!" the last Galbadian of the trio reported, "Beginning exchange process!" The series of statements the Galbadians made could only mean one conclusion.

"Repairs?" I couldn't help but voice it. It didn't make sense. The Galbadian army invaded… to repair Dollet's satellite tower?

"Who cares?" Seifer was on his feet. I stood to meet him, wary of the dangerous tone in his voice. "This must be your first real battle," he chided, "You scared?" After everything I had seen so far, everything I had done and felt… I didn't know how I was supposed to feel.

"… I don't know," I told him, "I try not to think about it." It was as close to an honest answer as I could get. Seifer waved his hands dramatically, "I love battles. I fear nothing. The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream." I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but the last bit threw me off balance.

"What? Your dream?"

"You have one too, don't you?" he asked, as if sincerely wanting to pry. I turned away, "… sorry, but I'm gonna pass on that subject." This conversation was getting way too close for comfort. Zell, however, seemed like he wanted in on the camaraderie.

"Yo! Let me in on it, too!" he pushed me. This seemed to annoy Seifer, "Mind your own business." Zell cursed and punched at Seifer, who merely leaned back very little to avoid him. Zell got in a combat stance as Seifer looked smugly back.

"What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?" He laughed, and started down the path towards the tower door. "Damn you!" Zell muttered as he crouched and punched the ground as he did so.

"There you are!" a familiar voice called out. From atop some rocks above us, the girl that ran into me in Garden earlier today waved to us. She was in a female uniform, which was very much like ours, with a short skirt instead of pants. As she started working her way down the rocks, she quickly lost her balance and tumbled head-over-heels to the plateau we were standing on. She quickly dusted herself off and stood back up with a giggle and wink to show she was okay.

"Are you… Squad B?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm… a messenger," she continued, "Name's Selphie, from Squad A. The squad captain's Seifer, right? Where is he?" At that moment, Seifer came to the entrance of the tower, within sight, and I pointed him out. He yelled back to us, "One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" Laughing, he entered the tower, gunblade drawn. Selphie sighed, "This sure is tough…" Backing up a couple steps, she yelled, "Captain! Wait up!" and jumped off of the cliff towards the tower. She called back to us, "What are you waiting for? Come on! Come on!" waving energetically.

Zell and I decided to take the route that Seifer had. It may not have been as short as simply jumping off of the cliff, but we weren't going to have time to climb the cliff on the way back to the transport, and I wanted to know the area before we left. It was a simple, curving path, and it didn't take too long to traverse. Selphie was a little irritated when we finally reached her, "What took you so long? It would've been much quicker if you'd just jumped." Zell scoffed, "… much quicker? Pu-lease… You wouldn't normally jump off a cliff, OK? Ain't that right, Squall?" I didn't lend my opinion on the subject.

The Communications Tower loomed over us, possibly one of the biggest buildings I'd ever come across. "Sure is big…" Selphie muttered as we got closer. The sounds of screaming emanated from inside and drew closer. Two Galbadian soldiers burst out of the tower and Seifer followed, trying to slash them. He gave up at the entrance and watched them run off, muttering, "Cowards." Selphie tried getting Seifer's attention, but he acted like he didn't see her, receding back into the tower, probably to continue fighting Galbadians.

We followed him inside the tower, just to be attacked by several more monsters that had found their way in, probably due to the Galbadian intrusion. A lone Galbadian soldier, mouth twisted in a desperate expression, launched himself at us. Zell brought his fists back, eager to meet the new enemy Seifer had obviously missed. I brought back Revolver to swing, should he try to attack me with his gun-sword. As the soldier raised his weapon, a black rod hit the side of his helmet, sending him tripping to the side. He barely muttered a confused syllable before Zell put his fist into the man's stomach hard. The Galbadian crumpled with a sigh, and Selphie twirled a weapon she now displayed more openly, a pair of steel nunchaku. Zell high-fived her and she danced in a celebration of their minor victory.

After the brief fracas, we saw an open elevator come down empty. I wondered aloud if Seifer had gone up, but seeing as he wasn't on the bottom floor, the assumption seemed safe. All three of us stepped onto the small elevator that barely gave us enough space to stand comfortably without falling off of a side. As the lift started ascending, Selphie said, "Wow, this lift is pretty cool!" Zell grinned sidelong at her and said with a snarky tone, "Don't get too excited, or you'll fall!" Selphie rolled her eyes and retorted, "Like I'm really going to!" Zell and I exchanged a knowing look, both very aware that less than five minutes ago, she had tripped over some rocks just walking to meet up with us.

As the lift reached the top, we found ourselves looking down over the entirety of Dollet. From several stories high, it appeared that the majority of the combat was subsiding, as the explosions and gunfire were becoming less and less apparent. To our right, a Galbadian Major – identifiable by his red uniform, compared to the regular blue – was waist-deep within the Satellite Tower's innards. A click and a hiss, a final clanking sound, and we heard him exclaim, "There, it's complete!"

The entire structure seemed to shudder under our feet. A wrench fell between some rail and clanked against a part of the tower beneath us. The entire structure shuddered under our feet, as if it was becoming alive. I suddenly felt a whoosh of air behind me and heard something shoot into the air. Where the main satellite dish should have been was empty, until a steel pillar shot through the middle of the structure, turning on its side to point out at the sky. The pillar extended, first becoming a plate, then curving, becoming the iconic main satellite dish from the past that used to be plastered on Dollet posters and cards. The main receiving array extended from the center of the dish as it seemed to pick up a signal of light from the sky. Somehow, the Galbadian had repaired the dish, which had been infamously malfunctioning for decades.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled, turning to face the Major. He turned, extracting himself from the panels he had been buried within. He turned his optical visor towards me, the four receptors on it burrowing into my eyes.

"Huhhh? Likewise, MISTER! What do you think you're doing?" he retorted, his tone dropping to a drill-instructor-esque growl. He suddenly seemed to realize how we got up here, unable to stifle, "H-HEY! What happened to all the soldiers down below?" The thought struck me – for a Major, this guy was a moron. He motioned towards us, yelling at some unseen backup, "WEDGE! Take care of these twerps!" No one responded.

"W… Wedge?" he called, his tone shaking. Zell cracked his knuckles against his hips, grinning fiercely at the Major. The Major's optics swung from Zell to Selphie, who simply smiled and giggled, which would have disturbed me slightly more if she hadn't been on my side. "I… ah…" the Major seemed to stutter as he was trying to decide on a course of action. "Well…. Ah… I seem to be done here, so I'll just be on my…" he tried bluffing his way out of the corner he found himself in. We weren't buying it, or moving, the latter probably intimidating him more as we stared him down.

In an act of desperation, he pointed his right arm at us, several small gun barrels popping out of his gauntlet. As he made his way towards the lift, he yelled, "I-I'm leaving! Move it! Move!" I heard the lift slide up to our level behind me, and I soon saw the blade of Hyperion swing past me, slicing off a panel of the Major's armor. Seifer's cool voice chuckled, "Sorry to crash the party."

The Major was now in a total breakdown, screaming "Ah… AHH… AHHHHH! Are you CRAZY!" Anger seemed to take control over him, pushing him past the fear of having to shoot teenagers, the strict Galbadian training kicking in. I raised Revolver into a fighting stance as Selphie took her nunchaku out of its sheath at her side and Zell got into a boxing pose. Seifer said something, but I missed it as I fell into the familiar heat of battle.

"Prepare for the worst, you brats!" the Major shouted as he raised his gauntlet again, firing rapidly from all of the barrels on his weapon. Bullets separated us, but we had enough wits about us to surround him. Zell jumped into the air, intending to jab an elbow into the Major's neck. Unfortunately, he barely missed, instead bringing his funny bone against the Major's back plate. Wincing as he retreated, Zell barely seemed to evade a bolt of lightning from the Major's other gauntlet. Selphie stepped to the side as I launched myself at the Major, swinging down with Revolver. The Major brought up his left gauntlet, blocking my blade, as he brought his right up to my face.

I had only a moment to blink before the gauntlet's gun barrels went off. However, it seemed to fire into the air above my head, and shock slowly drained away as I realized what had happened. Selphie had snuck up behind him, snaking the chain of her nunchaku around one leg and dragging him backwards. The Major yelled in frustration as he fell on his rear. I leaped back, soon joined again by Zell and Selphie at either side.

As the Major stood back up, a blue Galbadian soldier appeared at his side. "Major Biggs… have you finished the repairs, sir?" the soldier said in a calm tone, as if curious about the state of their mission. His optics seemed to take a moment to focus on us, before he realized the situation, drawing his gunsword. "What is the enemy doing here?" he asked the Major, his tone becoming panicked. "WEDGE! Where were you?" the Major yelled in a disapproving tone, "No pay for you this month!" The soldier winced as he said to himself, "… should've stayed home…" While their antics bordered on comical, we stayed vigilant, knowing that they could attempt an attack at any moment.

Wedge ran at us, his sword over his head as he screamed a war yell. Zell intercepted him, grabbing both of Wedge's arms, dropping to his back and flinging him across the platform in one fluid move. Biggs brought up his gauntlet again, peppering the platform with bullets, but Selphie's nunchaku were a whirl, deflecting most of them with relative ease. With a frustrated groan, Biggs launched himself at Selphie, his arm outstretched to pummel her face. I interceded, blocking the side of the gauntlet with Revolver, pulling the trigger as I connected, the additional force shearing off several mechanisms that allowed the gauntlet to fire.

As Wedge ran back to the Major, who was gripping his arm in pain, a rush of wind came up around the tower, shaking us slightly. Moments later, a gale of wind blew against us, and us SeeD candidates braced ourselves, keeping our footing on the platform. The Galbadians, however, did not expect it at all, and flew into the other side of the platform, screaming in defeat until they collided, hard. We knew, however, that this was no victory, as a shadow fell across the platform. What descended from above is a creature unlike anything I had ever seen.

Enormous crimson batlike wings sprouted from the back of a vaguely humanoid creature. Where legs should have been, a giant, intimidating brown stinger ended, floating just above the platform due to the wings that allowed it to hover. Twin horns the color of ochre curved up towards the sky, and a matching-colored beard covered the creature's mouth. Its arms pulsated with purple muscle, arms that ended in sharp, black claws. "What the hell is it?" Zell exclaimed next to me. I shook my head, my mouth slightly agape in awe.

The creature attacked with a fierce speed, attempting to rake us with its claws. We separated to different parts of the platform immediately, trying to give it separate targets to follow. It followed Zell first, and the martial artist attempted to punch it down by climbing a bit of the tower before jumping off, yelling as he brought down his fist. A bat of the wing sent Zell off course, and he slid to the platform's edge, barely managing to grip it in the nick of time. The creature followed, the wicked-looking stinger rising as the creature flew higher before attempting to plummet right on top of Zell, copying his tactic.

From the creature's right side came Selphie's nunchaku, and the creature refocused, looking towards the interloper and howling with an ethereal tone. Selphie cocked her head for a moment, before she said, "Heeey… you hear that?" She seemed to sway for a moment, as if something in the creature's voice had caught her attention. She barely seemed to snap out of it before the creature swiped at her, and she ran to the side. I could hear Zell groaning as he lifted himself back up.

I had stayed still, for I was observing the creature. I remembered an analect from one of my earlier studies, _Should you come across an unknown monster, observe and defeat. Do not assume and be killed._ I had never seen anything like this, and I wanted to study its fighting style before I decided on a course of action. The wind at the platform, so high in the air, whipped my hair back as I observed its patterns. The wings could bat away a falling combatant, and those claws were deadly to any in front of it… but there was a small window, as the wings came up to flap back down. I had to take it.

As I ran towards the creature, coming in from below and to its right side, Revolver dropped to my right side, I heard a faint sound as the creature howled again. This time, it was clearer, like the melody of a woman in distress. Although barely perceptible in my ears, I could feel her message in my mind, _Release me._ It caught me off guard, and my steps became louder as I lost focus. The creature looked back, its malevolent gaze burning into my eyes. It brought a fist about, almost connecting with my head, but I brought up Revolver just in time, and it caught the blade against a finger.

"Selphie! Buy me some time! I think there's a Guardian Force within it!" She yelled an affirmation as she whipped her nunchaku about, clanging it against the platform, making noise that distracted the creature. I receded into myself as I focused on finding the energies within me necessary to free the Guardian Force. Zell launched himself back from above, this time his foot coming down on the creature's head. As he jumped off, the creature swiped at the air with his claws, barely missing the legs of the kickboxer.

I found the necessary force within myself, and I focused on Drawing from the creature. I could sense several powerful magics within it, but I kept searching. I could feel it howl as it felt my magical intrusion, and it started flying towards me, claws extended to put me in a death grip. I saw a light shine from its center, a light that radiated outwards, and soon illuminated the entire platform with blinding light. Time had seemed to freeze, the creature still in mid-air, as I soon was able to focus on a figure within the light before me. A beautiful woman, all but naked, due to some well-placed golden feathers, stepped out of the light. Her eyes shined with an otherworldly golden hue, and her blond hair ended in two large celestial wings. _Call me Siren_, I felt within my mind, _and call upon me when you wish to hear my song again._

She nodded a silent _thank-you_ before taking a harp that manifested from nowhere and strumming it lightly. The tune that passed from that harp soon faded from memory, and she glowed brightly again, her form reducing to a small chunk of perfectly rounded amber. I grasped it, and Junctioned her immediately. A wave of calm spread through me, as though I had just had a relaxing massage. The scene before me soon brought me back to the present, and the battle anxiety cancelled out the relaxation. I dropped to my back as the claws raked the air where I had been standing. The stinger drew back slightly, as it positioned itself over my torso.

I swung Revolver around, pulling the trigger as I chopped off the tip of the stinger. The smell of gunpowder invaded my nostrils as I saw the creature's blood spill onto my white undershirt, staining it green immediately. The creature howled, a sound of pain that was cut short by another barrage of kicks and punches. I saw Selphie's nunchaku hit the creature's face once, twice, and a third time before it began to back off. I stood up, gripping Revolver with more strength, walking the creature to the edge of the platform. As I raised my gunblade, the creature turned, as if to fly away from the prey it found it could not kill. I brought Revolver down, pulling the trigger as it sliced into the creature's wing, severing it completely from the monster's body. The creature howled as it fell into the mountainside below, the unearthly scream cut short as it impacted with the gruond. Our group stared where it had fallen as we regained our breath.


End file.
